Weekend lightning storms cause wildfires in Yakima County

Lightning storms in Naches, Yakima County, have caused a handful of fires over the past few days, the largest of which is estimated at 400 acres.

That fire, dubbed the Conrad Lake Fire, started Friday, and it is being managed by a Type III Incident Management team because of “aggressive fire behavior” and difficult terrain in the Goat Rocks Wilderness.

Cattle from the Tieton allotment are moving north to avoid the fire, and forest-range managers are asking drivers in the Rimrock Lake area to drive slowly to avoid hitting any that may wander into the road.

Another fire, in the Oak Creek Wildlife Area, has been halted by hand crews, engines and helicopter at 22 acres, and is still being monitored.

Several other fires in the area caused by the weekend lightning storms have been controlled to under 1 acre.

Forecasts aren’t calling for much more lightning, but warm and dry weather could cause existing fires to spread, so the Naches Ranger District will be keeping a close eye on the area.

Storms have caused similar problems in Chelan County, where a 6,000-acre lightning fire threatened 150 homes this weekend. Residents of 78 homes who were forced to evacuate because of the fire were allowed to return Monday. The fire was at 70 percent contained Monday.

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The Today File is a general news blog featuring real-time coverage of Seattle and the Northwest. It is reported by the news staff of The Seattle Times and includes stories from The Associated Press and McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.